Algiers - Casbah I

The Kasbah of Algiers is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  In English we evidently tend to spell it with a C, not a K, but it's pronounced the same.  UNESCO lists it as Kasbah.

The word Casbah itself seems to denote either a fortified house of a town ruler or the area within the old city walls, depending on location and era.  In North Africa, it seems to be related more to the old city than a particular building.  Certainly the Casbah of Algiers refers to the old city within the old city walls; while people know where it is, they wouldn't agree on a metes and bounds description.  Within the walls of the Casbah, however, there was both a palace and a fortress.

The Casbah is to a large extent the original location of Algiers, first as a Phoenician trading post, then as part of the Roman-satellite Mauretanian Kingdom under Juba II.  (Refer to Tipasa posts).   It remained a Roman city until destroyed by Vandals, and the site apparently remained uninhabited until the 10th Century, when it was "re-founded" by Berbers.  For the next 500 years Algiers was governed by various North African rulers, kingdoms, until the early 16th Century when it became part of the Ottoman Empire; for the next 300 years Algiers' main interaction with the Europeans (and then Americans as well) was due to the fact that it was the home of the Barbary Pirates, who operated from modern day Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

The Casbah was pivotal in the Algerian war for independence; because of the narrow and winding streets and interconnected houses, FLN partisans could (and did) carry out partisan strikes against the French, and then disappear into the Casbah.  During the "trouble" of the '90s, Islamic radicals tried to use the Casbah in the same way as the FLN had against the French, but because both sides were Algerians, they had more trouble doing so.

For our tour, we had six Americans, one guide, one policeman in uniform, and eight plainclothes men belonging to who-knows-what agency.  The Casbah is off-limits for embassy personnel; to gain admittance, the trip has to be cleared by the embassy security staff and then the embassy sends a diplomatic note to the Algerian government, we're taken to a checkpoint by the motor pool, and our tour begins.  Cindy felt pretty constricted, but I didn't really.  The only things I didn't get to see were closed for restoration.  

As you'll notice from the pictures below, the Casbah is not only old, but it's falling down.  Several houses have collapsed, and you can see the outlines of rooms on the walls still standing.  Many outside walls are braced with heavy beams.  The whole area is slated for renovation, but no one seems to know when or where the money will come from.   Being designated a UNESCO site doesn't bring any money, and while I saw some evidence of restoration, not a lot seems to be going on, except for the major structures (cathedral/mosque and castle).  Our guide (who was the same man who was at Tipasa) said that one of the problems was that the French made penetrations in the exterior walls for water/sewer/electrical, and the moisture seepage had deteriorated the masonry.  I don't know to what extent that is a valid claim; if so, however, it would seem important to be keeping the stucco and paint in good repair, which is not the case.  And certainly the jumble of satellite dishes and wires and pipes anchored to the walls cannot be blamed on the French.

This first street is actually a fairly wide main street, by Casbah standards.  Note the bracing between the two exterior walls.

 Doorway on a side street.

These room braces are a rougher version of the ornate Turkish ones.  These are poles which extend out and support an added-on room addition.  Additions couldn't be too big because the streets were so narrow, and sometimes the additions would almost abut in the middle of the street, and in some cases meet, forming a sort of tunnel.  And in some cases these abutted room additions were connected to each other, thus making it possible to wander around a good bit in the Casbah without ever touching the street.

This is the Mediterranean Sea from the roof of one of the houses.  Until the fall of French rule it had always been the rule that one couldn't build a house or addition that would block his neighbor's view.  That rule was reinstated, but in between the time the French left and the new government gained administrative control, several additions were made, which seem to be a point of contention.

The corrugated tin roof is over such an addition.  Directly in the middle of the picture are two towers on either side of a dome; this was the Cathedral until after the war of independence; it is now a mosque, and under renovation so we couldn't go in.

The fortress, also under renovation.  I'm not sure to what extent it is being renovated; at this point, I think it is just an intervention to keep it from falling down.

 Street scenes.

 There are an incredible number of steps in the Casbah.

You may think this is an open street, but only because the houses on one side have collapsed.

One of the public fountains.  Before running water, people got water from these fountains.  Also, most houses had cisterns to catch rain water, so the fountains were not necessarily the only source of a family's water supply.

Another street.

In front of the mosque.

Steps, steps, steps.

This house is in pretty good condition.  During early Ottoman times it was a rule that all houses in Algiers had to be painted white, and the roofs red.  This uniformity was felt to keep everyone equal and not given to ostentatious shows of wealth.  Inside, of course, whatever one wanted and could afford was okay.

Another street.

More bracing holding up a facade.  Some places the facade is the only thing that is still standing, held up by the braces.

Oran II

 This is the memorial to those killed in the war for independence against France, which ended in 1962.  To me it is very Moorish in design, but a lot of buildings in Oran are. 

An Art Deco garage, built about 1910.  Who knew they had such a parking problem so soon?  It's still used as a garage.

The grandest hotel of the French era, now empty and awaiting renovation, probably for offices or apartments.

Oran is not as hilly as Algiers, but there are a lot of long and steep stairways.

Qasr el-Bey

Following several pictures are from the Castle of the Bey, built in the late 1600s, in an area called the Derb.  These oleanders are like small trees, and I was not expecting to see hollyhocks here.

The main reception hall, although the French used it as an administrative building and made some alternations that were not passed by the historic architecture committee.  The building is in preliminary planning for restoration.  A team of Italian architects (?) cultural preservationists (?) has recently been in the building and made wall scrapings to determine original paint colors and tile designs.

The columns and capitals seem to be in good shape, but the floor is in very bad condition.

  Speaking of the floor, the French added the wooden floor above the original tile.  I have no idea what happened to the original floor.  The wall at the end of this room is a French addition.

Very Moorish, like someone was copying the Alhambra.

That is the Mediterranean through the gate; the castle is probably 500 or 600 feet above the sea.

A Moorish minaret.  

The top of the minaret.  I wonder if the inhabitants close to mosques with loudspeakers are happy when the power goes out, or maybe they're just used to it.  It's hard to ignore the call to prayer when it's being blasted out with thousand amp speakers.

Poor zoning is a worldwide issue, I guess.  This building was started in the '80s to be a hotel, as you can see right outside the castle courtyard, towering over the Castle, but work was stopped during the civil war/religious strife of the '90s.  After the government won control again, the owner wanted to restart construction, but several NGOs were able to convince the government that this was a terrible place for a hotel.  The owner intended to tear down parts of the castle for parking, and to tear down the entry gate so vehicles could gain access.  Now the plan is that the city will complete the building for use as municipal office space.

Reflecting the harmony existing at the time between the Jewish and Moorish residents of Oran, this carving in one of the doors shows the Star of David resting in the Muslim crescent, topped with a dove.  How can we have regressed so much in 400 years?

The oldest mosque in Oran, also under renovation.  Our guide told us that the U.S. had given $100,000, but that wouldn't be nearly enough.  

Overlooking the commercial port, the rather ugly boxy building in the foreground is the first cigarette factory in Algeria.  They are made in Spain now.

The military port at Mers el-Kebir, immediately west of Oran.  A squadron of French ships (Vichy France) was attacked in this port in 1940 by a fleet of English ships from Gibraltar.  The purpose of the attack was to keep the French ships from falling into the hands of the Nazis.  About 1300 French sailors were killed here, most of them aboard a battleship that was sunk.  The parapet in the foreground is Fort Santa Cruz.

The ill-fated hotel and the Castle of the Bey, from Fort Santa Cruz.

The commercial harbor at Oran from Fort Santa Cruz, with the Chapel of Santa Cruz right below.  The bell-tower-looking structure is a base for the huge statue of the Virgin Mary, which was cast in Lyon, France.

People seem to love carving into the century plants, in all languages.

The interior of the chapel.

Algerian Coast Guard base on the rocks at the end of the commercial harbor jetty.

The courtyard at the chapel.

I just liked that highway overpass.  The ugly uncompleted hotel looms over the castle.  It will be a grand place for some city employee napping in his/her corner office.

The military harbor from the top of the mountain.

Fort Santa Cruz from the top of the mountain, with Oran spreading out below.  If you knew where to look you could see the Oran Le Meridian, where Cindy's conference was held.

Toufek, our guide, answering yet another of Cindy's questions about the old rocks.  He was very patient, though.  He runs a historical preservation NGO and gives tours on the side.  The January attacks at In Amenas have ruined his tours south of the coast, however.

A World War II bunker.  Oran was captured by American forces in Operation Torch, at the very beginning of the North African campaign.  Convoys left Oran for the invasion of Italy at Salerno later in the war.

The bull fighting ring, tribute to the Spanish heritage.

This is the huge traffic circle at the driveway to the Le Meridien.  The police van parked across the street was there the entire time of the conference.  The fountain is not particularly beautiful, but in the evening a lot of local residents of all ages came out and mingled there.

Sunset from our balcony, looking across the Bay of Oran to the Fort of Santa Cruz.  It's on the highest point where the mountain takes a straight 45-degree dive toward the Sea.

One of the walls at the Le Meridien Convention Center.  This is a huge wall, all tiled.

Oran I

Oran is the second largest city in Algeria, about 300 miles west of Algiers.  Cindy had a conference there and I was able to tag along as a tourist.  The area around the Bay of Oran has been settled a long time, of course, but oddly enough only came under Turkish rule in the early 18th Century.  The Spanish and Turks traded control throughout the 18th Century, and it was under Turkish control by late 18C, not too long before the French colonized it.  It has a lot of art deco French buildings in the downtown area, most of which need renovation.  The good news is that a lot of buildings are being renovated, like the French city hall, opera house, and apartments.  Because of its proximity to Andalusia a lot of Moors and Jews settled here when forced to leave Spain (by decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, wonderful Chrisian monarchs that they were), there is also Spanish influence. 

The photo below is looking east over the Bay of Oran and the city.  Fort Santa Cruz is in the foreground.

 

 The train station in Oran.  Designed and built by the French around the turn of the century.  

 A closeup of the Moorish entrance arches.  The tile work in Turkish/Moorish architecture is really incredible.

The Star of David in the cupola.  A tribute to the influence of Jews in Oran.  There was a large synagogue and Jewish community here.  Ferdinand & Isabella were equal opportunity Catholics:  no Jews or Moors need apply.  Those who didn't want to convert to Catholicism were forced out of Spain, many of whom came to North Africa.  Oran is only about 100 miles from Almeria, Spain, just up the coast from Malaga.  There is a ferry that goes between the two cities.

More tile:

La Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur,  which is now a library.

The organ pipes are still there, and the stained glass, the choir stalls, and the pulpit, seen below.

The pulpit, looking out over the library tables and bookshelves.

The photo above is of recently renovated art deco apartments, and below a Turkish a sort of Turkish Flatiron building.

Above, the opera, which is now used as a theater (plays, not movies, three days a week for children, weekends for adults.)

The lions on the front of the city hall, which is currently undergoing restoration. 

The former Jewish synagogue, which is now a mosque.  It was built in the late 19th Century, and became a mosque only in 1975.

 Fort Santa Cruz from Oran, and the white building directly below it is the Chapel of Santa Cruz, with the large statue of the virgin on top of the tower to the right.  Directly behind the fort is the old city of Mers el-Kebir,